Marine gamete-release pheromones

In contrast to the large body of experimental evidence for the existence of sex pheromones in marine invertebrates, only a few chemical structures of these compounds have been elucidated. Here we report the isolation and identification of two gamete-release pheromones of marine invertebrates. By bioassay-guided fractionation and purification, we identified uric acid as the sperm-release pheromone of Platynereis dumerilii and inosine as the main component of the egg-release pheromone complex of Nereis succinea (Annelida, Polychaeta). These compounds contain the purine ring system, which has not as yet been identified in sex pheromones of any species.